Downtown Tacoma

Caroline Denyer Gallacci · Ron Karabaich

Aug 2009 · Arcadia Publishing

About this ebook

In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad selected the south shore of Commencement Bay as the terminus of its transcontinental line. Connected to, but independent of the railroad, the Tacoma Land Company created a city adjacent to the terminus. By the early years of the 20th century, downtown Tacoma was the place to go for a wide array of activities from retail shopping and government activity to entertainment. Streetcars, and then automobiles, contributed to the ever-changing vitality of people and place. After the late 1960s, when developers constructed a mall south of the central core, city planners created a new type of urban experience centered on amenities designed to lure tourists and Tacomans alike.

About the author

Author and Tacoma resident Caroline Denyer Gallacci is the cofounder of the Tacoma Historical Society and has been an adjunct professor of history at various local colleges and universities. Downtown Tacoma is the fourth work she has written for the Images of America series. In this unique collection of vintage photographs selected from the private collections of coauthor Ron Karabaich and Thomas R. Stenger, as well as the Tacoma Public Library, Gallacci provides a glimpse into Tacomas Central Business District and how it has changed over time.